Boys Will Be Boys
by Elenhin
Summary: Boys have to go through some things to be men, this is one of them.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Boys will be boys, I've heard that being said a time or two, especially accompanied by the sound of breaking glass….

There is however more to it than that, and there are many things that a boy goes through to become a man, this is one of them.

Big Thanks to JordynD

**Warning**: _The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen. _

Disclaimer: The Duke Boys are not mine, I don't own the Duke boys, nor the General Lee. I promise that once I'm through with them, there will be nothing broken that a trip to Cooter's garage can't fix….

* * *

**_Boys Will Be Boys_**

Chapter 1: _The First Punch_

"What have you boys been up to?" Jesse asked as he came in through the kitchen door. Seeing the two boys on the farm, without the General up front was unusual; seeing just one of them without the other was even more unusual, though he suspected that Luke could be around somewhere as well. It wouldn't surprise him at all. There was no telling what those boys would do, and keeping track of them at all times was more than he could manage.

Bo was seated at the table with his elbows propped on the table cloth. His shoulders were hunched and he was holding a wet towel to his face.

"I ain't been up to nothing," he muttered.

"Uhu, I can see that alright," Jesse noted. "Now, why don't ya tell me all about it? And where's Luke anyway?" He was a bit concerned. Bo was the high-spirited kid in the family. It was almost never that he looked this sullen. In truth, Jesse could hardly recall the last time the boy had been glum for more than five minutes, and that included the time he had scolded them for blowing up the outhouse, even though it had been a mistake. He just was too high spirited by nature for that glum and sullen look not to worry Jesse.

"I don't know where he is," he muttered.

"Now Bo, don't you go trying to convince me that nothing's going on here. I know better than that. So come on now boy, tell me what's been happening." He knew Bo was trying to keep from having to tell him.

"I argued with Luke," Bo admitted grudgingly.

"And it was a hard argument, eh?" Jesse noted.

"Yeah, I guess you can call it that," Bo shrugged, letting the towel drop. He had a huge swollen bruise on his cheek.

"I take it you got that from Luke." Jesse touched a finger to his chin and tilted his head so that he could see better. "Did he give you that by accident, or was it on purpose?"

"He hit me." Bo admitted.

It was really odd, when something was bothering Bo, he never could keep it in. He would seek you out to tell you everything about it. Sometimes if it was bad he couldn't look you in the eye, but he never could keep it in.

"Bo, the two of you always bicker, but I've never seen one of you do that to the other before. So now I want you to tell me what got Luke so worked up he hit you like that?"

"I don't rightly know." Bo looked down. "Can't really remember. We argued, he knocked me out, and then I hitched a ride back with Cooter, I guess the rest don't matter much anyhow." He shrugged.

Jesse put a hand on his shoulder. "Bo, it matters, I can't have the two of you like this, now when he gets back, we'll sort it all out, okay?"

"Guess so." Bo looked down again.

"Now look here Bo," Jesse squeezed his shoulder fondly. "I know one thing for sure, and that is that I can't stand to see the two of you at odds."

"Me neither," Bo shook his head. "But he's so dang angry with me that I don't think he'll ever forgive me for what I did, whatever that was."

"Don't worry Bo, we'll sort it out" Jesse patted his shoulder.

"Oh, Uncle Jesse, he was so angry at me I reckon he has to hate me." Bo's voice was thick.

"No he doesn't." Jesse assured him, tousling his blond locks fondly. "Trust me he doesn't. Now, shall we see if we can do something about that there bruise, eh?"

"Ah, that don't matter now," Bo shrugged. "I don't care about it." He put the towel against it again though, having wet it with cold water since it really hurt.

Cooter had been really surprised when Bo came to him and asked for a ride home. For once he didn't try to get some food as a part of the deal. He just told Bo to get in the truck and took him home. The good lord knew that no one had ever accused Cooter of being the smart one, but he knew when his friends needed him. So it didn't take him as much as a second to make up his mind that the transmission could wait until he had his friend back home. Actually not sure if he should really leave him there, though Bo had insisted that he would be fine, and in the end Cooter trusted him enough to get back to work.

"You sure boy?" Jesse asked, and Bo nodded.

"It hurts, but it ain't like I've never gotten bruises before," he said.

Jesse didn't argue with him. The boy had learned counting by counting bruises each night. If he didn't have a dozen on each leg, he hadn't had any fun. After some time he and his wife had figured that it was as it should be and no need to worry. Still he took the towel and wet it again with some colder water before handing it back to him.

He watched Bo sit and hang his head until Daisy came in through the kitchen door. Bo clearly thought that it was Luke, because he looked up with a hopeful expression, and then his head dropped on his shoulders again.

"Bo!" Daisy exclaimed as she got a good look of the bruise on that time he looked up. "What's happened to you?"

He mumbled something that she couldn't catch.

"Bo, what's wrong?" She walked over to drape an arm around his shoulders.

"I don't wanna talk about it, Daisy." Bo shook his head. "Ain't nothing you can do about it anyways."

Daisy could not stand to see him so dejected and tried to give him a hug, one that he almost tried to duck out of.

"Sugar, who was it that hit you?" she asked.

"Daisy," Jesse said in a hushed voice, trying to discourage her from asking too much.

TBC

Thank you all for reading, I'll do my very best to reply to all signed reviews, Elenhin


	2. A Big Dark Hole In The Ground

Author's Note: Boys will be boys, I've heard that being said a time or two, especially accompanied by the sound of breaking glass….

There is however more to it than that, and there are many things that a boy goes through to become a man, this is one of them.

Big Thanks to JordynD

**Warning**: _The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen. _

Disclaimer: The Duke Boys are not mine, I don't own the Duke boys, nor the General Lee. I promise that once I'm through with them, there will be nothing broken that a trip to Cooter's garage can't fix….

* * *

_**Boys Will Be Boys**_

Chapter 2: _A Big Dark Hole In The Ground_

"I got into a fight with Luke." Bo's head dipped even closer to the table as he admitted to it.

"You got into a fight with Luke?" Daisy asked doubtfully. "Luke hit you like that. What happened?"

"I don't wanna talk about it just now." Bo mumbled.

"Okay sugar." Daisy hugged him again and started preparing supper. She could tell just how terrible Bo was feeling about it all. There was bowls of food on the table in front of him, and he hadn't tried to snatch a single bite of anything. No matter if it was her or Jesse cooking, Bo was always there with his hand in the pots and bowls. No matter how many times that hand had been slapped away with a ladle, spatula or spoon. He just couldn't resist it, just like he so often tried to steal a morsel while they said grace, it was no disrespect on his part, it was just the boyish way of his to be unable to resist.

Normally, with Bo so close to the food, she would have slapped his hand four times already, and threatened him twice.

It tore at her heart to see him like that.

"Bo, do you wanna taste the gravy?" she tried to tempt him. When he shook his head she went from concerned to worried.

Then as Jesse was setting the table they could hear the General pull up outside. Bo's head snapped up, and his face was a mixture of relief and worry.

"Now don't you worry Bo, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about." Jesse put a hand on his shoulder.

Luke came in through the kitchen door, and looked around in the room, noting how everyone was there. He winced inwardly as he saw the bruise on Bo's face, but he didn't let it show outward.

"Luke," Jesse began slowly. "I think there's something we need to sort out."

Luke held up his hands, palms outward. "Uncle Jesse, I'm sorry, but there ain't nothing much to sort out. I didn't do nothing to hurt Bo, but sometimes there has to be consequences, and I can't apologize for that."

"I just want to know what it was about?" Jesse shrugged as he watched Luke sit down at the table. Luke glanced at Bo, who was still looking at the table cloth. "I don't think I've ever seen you two at odds this way before." Jesse said slowly.

"Ah, we ain't at odds Uncle Jesse." Luke grinned. "It's nothing to worry about. It's all over now."

"Luke..." Jesse said as softly as he could. "I don't know anything of what's happening, but by the look of Bo there, it ain't all over."

"Ah, come on Bo." Luke sighed. "Y'all know it was your own fault. Lets just forget about it, okay?"

Bo nodded dejectedly, Jesse didn't know what more to say, so instead he folded his hands to say grace. Luke ate heartily, but Bo only poked in his food. Daisy doubted that he had even eaten a full mouthful.

"Bo." To her surprise it was Luke who spoke from his seat across to Bo. "Don't tell me you're so upset about it all that ya won't eat. Ya gonna make it all look ten times worse than it is, and ya have Uncle Jesse and Daisy worried as well."

"I just ain't hungry." Bo shrugged. "May I be excused Uncle Jesse, I had better go an' see to my chores?"

"Okay, Bo," Jesse said softly. When the youngest of his charges had gone outside he looked to Luke again. "Luke, I know what you said just now, but look at Bo. He sure don't think it's all over. And from what he told me, he doesn't even know what it is he's gone and done. Now why don't you tell me what happened."

Luke sighed. "He was joking with me, and he forgot to keep to the rules and started making fun of things he shouldn't. We got to arguing about it, and that's about it."

"I think you need to have a talk with him about it," Jesse decided. "No, Luke, don't go thinking I'm taking sides, cause I ain't taking any side, but seeing that poor boy like that just about breaks my old heart."

"I'll talk with him in the morning." Luke promised. He still thought that Bo was overreacting badly, but he was willing to compromise for Jesse's sake. Since the two of them were supposed to go and pick up some spare parts for the old tractor he could have a talk with him in the car.

Only in the morning when they were about to go, Bo had disappeared. He had been poking listlessly in his breakfast, and then he just disappeared. Luke looked around him for a bit, but then he had to go.

Daisy looked as the General disappeared around the next corner and Bo came down from the hayloft. He had been hiding out there when Luke was going. Now he looked wishfully after the car.

She walked over to him, the bruise was still big, discolored and a bit swollen, and he looked as if he hadn't slept at all during the night.

"Bo, why didn't you go with Luke?" She asked. "You were supposed to after all."

"I didn't want to go into town with him." Bo shrugged. "He's still mad at me and I don't want to argue with him again."

Daisy draped an arm over his shoulder. Ya can't settle it if ya don't talk with him. Ya should have gone with him."

"I'm gonna go and do the chores," Bo said quietly.

"Bo." Daisy called after him as he went into the barn. He came out again with a shovel, clearly intending to do the digging Jesse had wanted him and Luke to do for some weeks now. The two of them had kept putting it off and Jesse had put this week down as their final chance to get it done, threatening to take them both out into the wood shed if they didn't, and they both knew that he would tan their hides if he thought it was called for.

Jesse didn't only accept their constant way of getting into trouble, how they would chase trouble and girls with equal enthusiasm, he also encouraged it. As long as the boys knew they would have to get out off whatever they got into, he didn't mind. Putting a damper on those boys would be cruel; it would smother down their love of life. Yet Bo had always been the littlest one, the youngest and smallest, and ironically, the first to land in trouble.

It was Bo who got pitched over the fence trying to ride on the mule. It was Bo who got chased by the chickens after having chased them one time too many. It was Bo who fell down from the roof, Bo who was dragged over to Uncle Jesse by the scruff of his neck when they were in town, and Bo who reluctantly crawled out from under the car to take a lecture from Cooter about what he was not supposed to do.

Only thing that could ever bring his spirits down was when someone was angry at him, like Jesse, Daisy, Luke or Cooter. Then he'd look like a kicked puppy.

Bo had pulled off his shirt and stood driving the shovel hard into the dirt. He took out all of his frustration upon the wooden shaft with the metal blade, and he dug to hide the despair he was feeling over being at odds with Luke.

TBC

Thank you all for reading, I'll do my very best to reply to all signed reviews, Elenhin


	3. Boys Will Be Boys

Author's Note: Boys will be boys, I've heard that being said a time or two, especially accompanied by the sound of breaking glass….

There is however more to it than that, and there are many things that a boy goes through to become a man, this is one of them.

Big Thanks to JordynD

**Warning**: _The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen. _

Disclaimer: The Duke Boys are not mine, I don't own the Duke boys, nor the General Lee. I promise that once I'm through with them, there will be nothing broken that a trip to Cooter's garage can't fix….

* * *

Chapter 3: _Boys Will Be Boys_

"Bo." He looked up at the sound of his name, He was standing in a knee deep pit, one that was wider than his shovel was long. Daisy was standing at the rim with a glass of lemonade in her hand. "I don't think Uncle Jesse wanted it all this big." She pointed out softly.

"I don't remember how big he wanted it," Bo shook his head.

"Then stop digging." She held out the lemonade to him, and when he took it she noticed some blisters that had broken and bled in his palms, even though his hands were normally callused from the work on the farm.

"I'm not done yet." He drained the lemonade and passed the glass back to her shaking his head.

"Bo, you've already dug the hole twice the size Jesse wanted it." Daisy objected, standing there with the empty glass. "By this rate we'll have a new well before you are satisfied."

"Good, I need to cool off a bit." Bo dug furiously into the ground.

"This ain't the way to do it." Daisy shrugged as she walked off. Five minutes later Jesse came over. Daisy had told him, and he was quite concerned about what she had said about it.

"Ya, trying to dig a hole all the way to China?" He asked.

"I'm not all sure, Uncle Jesse," Bo sighed.

"Well, I can tell you one thing, and that is that I don't need that there hole to be any deeper than that," Jesse smiled. "Why don't you come up out of there. I'd say that you've earned ya self a break."

Bo climbed out of the hole reluctantly. "What do you want me to do instead Uncle Jesse?" he asked.

"I don't have any more chores for the day," Jesse looked around for inspiration. "Why don't you and Luke go fishing when he gets back here with them parts, I could make some nice fried fish for supper… don't that sound like something?"

Bo shook his head. "I'm too wound up to sit down fishing Uncle Jesse. Why don't I go and get working on the tractor instead, so that we can just finish it up when Luke gets back here with the new parts and all?"

"Okay, you do that then." Jesse patted his back, watching as he walked off with hunched shoulders. Soon he could hear the clanging of tools against metal that told him that Bo was working hard on the tractor. He was almost worried that when Luke got back Bo would have it all down into the tiniest parts. However what the boy was doing was taking one part at a time and cleaning each out throughly, even if he himself got far from clean doing it. Once more, when Luke came back, Bo sneaked off.

"I'm telling you, he's avoiding me," Luke told Daisy as he was working on exchanging the broken parts.

"He's miserable," Daisy pointed out. "Just look at the hole he went and dug."

"I know, I know," Luke groaned as he threw up his hands in a gesture of defeat. "What do you want me to do about it though? He's avoiding me… can't very well go and pin him down, can I?"

"Luke, we've got to talk with him. He really don't know what it is he's done," Daisy sighed. "I feel so sorry for him."

Later Jesse called to the boys to go and clean up, Daisy was already setting the table. Luke was first into the bathroom to wash his hands and when he was done Bo took his turn at it. Jesse looked up as he came back into the kitchen, the years spend raising the boys had made him develop the habit of always looking at their hands every time they had been sent to clean up. Even at this age, they sometimes rushed through it, now he could easily spot the dark stains on Bo's hands; he had definitely not done a proper job of cleaning.

"Bo, I want to see clean hands at this here'a table." He said softly.

"Sorry Uncle Jesse, but the soap was stinging so badly." Bo murmured.

Jesse frowned. It took a strong soap to wash away oil and grime, and it was not really a cake of soap either, it was a jar of some not quite liquid, but not quite anything else either. You scoped out a bit of it, and then it was coarse as if it contained sand: maybe it did. He didn't know, but there was nothing better for getting oil from your hands. Still, it didn't really sting. He took one of Bo's hands to inspect it and saw where the blisters from the shovel had burst into sores, and how they were darkened with oil and grime from the tractor, clearly cleaning them out with soap was what Bo had meant.

"It'll sting even more if ya get them sores infected," he pointed out. "We need to clean them up right and proper, and then when that's done, we'll have supper. And then, you me, Luke and Daisy are gonna sit down in the living room for a nice long chat and settle all this. How's that sound?"

"Okay Uncle Jesse," Bo agreed. He turned to go back into the bathroom, and when he came back Jesse inspected his hands again; they were all clean now. Apparently the mere promise of the talk they would have made him brighten up a little. He didn't eat with his normal appetite, which would have included seconds and thirds, but at least he cleared of most of his plate.

Daisy started clearing off the table once they were done, and Bo hung back ever so slightly, uncertain of the proceedings. His palms stung whenever something came against the sores, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling at all.

Jesse gave both boys a friendly pat on the shoulder as he led the way into the living room. Luke took a seat in his favorite chair, and Bo sank down on the sofa with Daisy beside him.

"Now I'd say it's time to find out what all this is about." Jesse said softly, "and let's take it from the start. What were y'all doing when ya started getting at odds with each others?"

"We were over at Cooter's place," Luke said helpfully, he didn't want to be at odds with Bo anymore than Bo wanted it. "We were giving him a hand with some ol' car he needed to fix up. Needed some fair deal of body work and wrenching so we were all helping out. Then when we was about to get going Bo was still joking about how we spend so much time in the General together that we get more and more alike, and I just don't think that's funny is all."

"I didn't mean it like that." Bo objected. "I was saying how Roscoe and Flash get more and more alike from spending all that time with each others, never said nothing bout us."

"Well, ya were talking about us before that." Luke insisted. "I heard ya chatting the ears of Cooter."

"Was just saying how we were gonna win that race next month." Bo straightened up a bit. "Then Roscoe and Flash came driving by, and you know how he is always going on with that dog, we just though it was funny."

"I thought it was the two of us ya were all yapping about." Luke insisted shaking his head.

"Well, it wasn't. None of it." Bo turned, giving a pleading look to his cousin.

Jesse held up a hand to halt the flow he knew would be coming if Bo was given half a chance to open his mouth. If it was possible to chat someone's ears off, Bo would be the one to do it. "Sounds to me like it's all a big misunderstanding," he said softly. "Bo was talking about one thing, and Luke thought he was talking about something else, I can guess the rest from there." He gave a soft smile to the bruise on Bo's cheek. For once Luke had beat him to throwing the first punch, whereas Bo was generally the one to act first and think later, it had been Luke this time. "Now, I suggest that you both shake hands, and make up."

"Sure thing Uncle Jesse," Bo leapt at the chance to settle things.

"Okay Uncle Jesse," Luke hesitated for half a heart beat, feeling a bit guilty over having struck his cousin for a silly misunderstanding. Feeling as if it was his fault, he made sure that he was the one who went over to Bo and held out his hand. "I'm really sorry, cousin, I should have given you the chance to explain what it was all about."

Bo took the offered hand, beaming broadly. "It don't matter none, long as ya ain't mad at me. I really hate that."

"Me too cousin." Luke sat down beside him and draped an arm around his shoulders. "I'm gonna make that up to ya," he promised brushing against the colorful bruise.

"There ain't no need Luke," Bo grinned. "Really Luke, it doesn't bother me the slightest. It was just that I couldn't figure out why y'all were angry at me."

"Come on then." Luke grinned. "Let's go outside. The General could use a good tune-up, and then we can take him for a spin… you drive."

"Yee-haw!" Bo shouted as he leapt to his feet.

Jesse and Daisy grinned as they watched them head out to where the General was standing outside. Bo sure had an unending supply of enthusiasm for these things, and once the misunderstanding between him and Luke was straightened out, all he needed was to spend a few hours with Luke and the General, and things was back to normal for him again. The promise of being allowed to drive was all he needed, and then Luke had made up for the punch. Bo wasn't one to carry a grudge… Jesse wasn't even sure he knew how to do that, though he suspected Luke would keep an extra eye on him for as long as the bruise showed on his cheek. It was the way he was, more inclined to feeling guilty, especially if it was about his baby cousin.

"You know," Jesse grinned to Daisy as he heard the General's engine roar to life outside, "boys will be boys, and there ain't no saying more true when it comes to them there boys outside."

The End


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